Kathmandu, Nepal – Nepal created new strides in snow leopard conservation with the historic collaring of a snow leopard using satellite GPS technology in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.

The snow leopard, an adult male approximately five years of age, weighing 40kg and with a body length of 193cm was captured, fitted with a GPS Plus Globalstar collar (Vectronics Aerospace Inc., Germany) and released back into the wild at 10:45am on 25th November 2013.

The collaring expedition that lasted 45 days beginning 7th November was led by the Government of Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation with the support of WWF, Conservation and Adaptation in Asia’s High Mountain Landscapes and Communities Project funded by USAID, National Trust for Nature Conservation, and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council/Snow Leopard Conservation Committee-Ghunsa. WWF Nepal provided both financial and technical support for the collaring expedition.

“The snow leopard collaring is indeed a new win for Nepal,” stated Mr. Megh Bahadur Pandey, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. “It reiterates the commitment of the government to strengthen measures to better understand and protect the snow leopard whose survival is under threat from anthropogenic actions and the pervasive impacts of global climate change.”

This is the first time that satellite-GPS technology is being used in snow leopard collaring in Nepal. Prior collaring work on the species used VHF technology in the early 80s and 90s. The collaring expedition also marks the first time that local communities through citizen scientists and Snow Leopard Conservation Committees have been involved and who played a key role in identifying snow leopard hotspots for tracking purposes through ongoing camera trap monitoring operations, participating in the collaring operations, and managing local logistics.

“Snow leopards are highly elusive creatures and given the terrains they reside in, monitoring work on the species is a highly challenging task,” stated Dr. Narendra Man Babu Pradhan, Coordinator for Development, Research and Monitoring at WWF Nepal. “While past studies on the snow leopard have been limited to areas that are accessible to people, this technology will help provide important information on the ecology and behavior of the wide ranging snow leopard.”

Through data received from the satellite collar, it will be possible to determine their movement patterns, habitat use and preferences, home ranges to identify critical core habitats and corridors between them, including trans-boundary habitat linkages and climate resilient habitats.

“Nepal’s Himalayas are a rich mosaic of pristine habitat, freshwater and wildlife species including the iconic snow leopard,” stated Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal. “The success of the collaring expedition opens up new frontiers in snow leopard conservation as well as new avenues to profile Nepal as a living laboratory to help build on international collaboration in conservation science.”

The existing snow leopard conservation projects in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area include snow leopard monitoring using camera traps and prey-base monitoring with the partnership of local citizen scientists and Snow Leopard Conservation Committees, a population genetic study using fecal DNA, and a livestock insurance scheme built at reducing human-snow leopard conflict.

“The snow leopard conservation program has given the local communities the opportunity to build their own capacities in snow leopard monitoring,” stated Mr. Himali Chungda Sherpa, Chairperson of the Snow Leopard Conservation Committee-Ghunsa. “This is further aiding the overall understanding amongst the local communities on the importance of protecting the species thereby building on our commitment towards snow leopard conservation.”

The snow leopard was captured using a modified Aldrich foot snare equipped with satellite/VHF trap transmitters, which is a tried and tested means. The snow leopard came to no harm during the capture.

Dr. Rinjan Shrestha, Conservation Scientist-Eastern Himalayas Program, WWF US, fixing the final screws of the collar; the snow leopard’s mouth is kept open to avoid possible suffocation from its tongue rolling back in. The snow leopard was collared with a GPS Plus Globalstar collar (Vectronics Aerospace Inc., Germany). The collar is programmed to take GPS locations or ‘fixes’ at four-hour intervals and is also fitted with mortality, temperature and activity sensors.

The collared snow leopard was an adult male about five years of age and was named ‘Ghanjenzunga’, after a local deity. It weighed 40kg and measured 193cm from the head base to tail base with a shoulder height of 60cm.

The snow leopard shakes off the sedative and gets up slowly to head back home. The collared snow leopard was released into the wild at approximately 10:45am on 25th November. This is the first time that satellite GPS technology is being used in snow leopard collaring in Nepal.

Post release, Ghanjenzunga had covered an area of 80 sq. km. between 25 November and 16 December as per data received from the satellite collar. Ghanjenzunga will be intensively monitored for the next two years ending 2015. Data from the collar will unearth key information on the spatial ecology and behaviour of the snow leopard crucial to framing conservation strategies in the future.

The project was led by the Government of Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation in partnership with WWF Nepal, National Trust for Nature Conservation and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council/Snow Leopard Conservation Committee-Ghunsa.